Point Betsie During A Snowfall

January 15, 2014

We’ve been having a great winter so far this year in Benzie County. Lots of snow and cold for some great ice. I went out to Point Betsie Lighthouse yesterday afternoon (January 14th) during a delightful snowfall that left us with about a foot of fresh snow overnight. I was shooting my Nikon D800 with the 24-70mm f2.8. This first shot was just as I got out of my car. I was struck by the short path through the dune and trees to the beach framing the small chunks of ice floating on Lake Michigan.
Ice On The Lake At Point Betsie

It’s WAY too risky to attempt a lens sway in snowy conditions so I too my old D700 with the 14-24mm lens. I was fairly close to the break wall and shot this pan setup tripod mounted. I didn’t have my nodal point chart with me so I made an educated guess for a pan setting and it worked out ok. I stitched in Photoshop CC, converted to black & white in Nik Silver Efex Pro software and painted back in the little bit of color in the roof of the lighthouse.
Point Betsie Light January Snowfall Pano

This final shot is a handheld vertical 2 shot pano with the D800 and 24-70 lens. Processed and stitched in Photoshop CC and adjusted with Nik Viveza and cropped to a square ratio. I can be challenging shooting during an active snowfall and especially with wind. Keeping snowflakes and water drops off the lens is and uphill battle. You think you might have gotten a great shot only to see there were drops on her lens.
When The Light Came On


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This post was written by Steve Loveless Photography